HAS GEORGE SHAW CROSSED A BRIDGE TOO FAR

As usual this posting is a matter of rumour, observations, allegations, anecdotes and historical memory/facts.

We have discovered that some 38 years ago (1971) George Shaw was first elected to Barking & Dagenham council to represent Gascoigne ward then following the boundary changes he was re-elected in 1978 to represent Thames ward with Dougie Walters, Scrattons Farm was not part of Thames ward back then, it is said that both George and Dougie were right wing, and both of them disliked the much loved MP Jo Richardson and at elections times did all they could to get rid of her. Thankfully for the residents of Barking they were not successful.

George's career on the council seemed to kick of big almost from the start, he was elected as Vice Chairman of housing 1972 to 1977 while his old side kick John Lawrence was Chairman.

When Dougie Walters retired from the council the seat went to Roy Patient. It seems that Roy and George and their families had been friends for many years, and for some years to come they both worked together very well, to some observers at the time if was firmly believed that Roy got on because he did what George told him to. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

In 1977 George Shaw finally put the knife into the back of John Lawrence and took the Chair of Housing, as a consolation prize he allowed John to stay as his vice chair. He even convinced John to take the Chair back while he was Mayor in 1985/86 but he was back firmly in control as Chair while he was Deputy Mayor.

It is difficult to explain and probably just as difficult to comprehend just how much power Chairman of committees had in those days, but they were incredibly powerful, and some like George abused that power with relish.

Just take for instance officers in Housing, if you did not get on the right side of the Chairman, you just did not get promoted, you may even loose your job. Even the hiring of officers down to the most lowly of positions was done by a panel of members who were usually George's cronies, who were happy to get the additional money for turning up at the meeting, and of course very grateful to the Chairman, so it won't be a stretch of your imagination to think what could and did happen there.

But as far as Thames ward was concerned it was George Shaw's kingdom and he ruled it, you did not get a council tenancy on Thames unless the lettings committee which he Chaired approved it, later on when that committee was abolished, officers just quietly passed him the list, and bearing in mind how right wing George is we think you can guess the rest.

At some time in mid 80s Roy Patient started to stand up for himself and develop his own career on the council, George cut him stone dead, would not talk to him, no reason was ever given why, the families that had grown up together no longer spoke. This was George punishing Roy in much the same way as he is now punishing Fred Barns, Roy showed he was his own man, he was not George's lap dog, and then George filled with his venom, decided that as far has he was concerned Roy was dead to him, the exact words George has used to Fred.

George set to with his nasty bullying mind to get rid of Roy, he spread vicious rumours around the ward, he made life so uncomfortable for Roy but even more so for Roy's wife who was at home most days on her own and had been cut off from people she thought were friends. George even tried to ridicule Roy in the council chamber, but George always does his best work in the dark and he knew that Roy would not tolerate his wife being so unhappy and lonely. Eventually Roy sold his house and moved away. Many people will tell you about the big smile and the crowing that George did on that day.

One thing you need to realise about George Shaw is that in Thames ward his reach was endless, if you were a council officer and you were working on anything in his ward, if he didn't like you you didn't keep your job for long, especially if you were a woman. Just as the very last Youth officer that run the youth club there before it very conveniently burned down found out.

Ask many of the Voluntary Sector organisations who tried to operate in the ward......but lets just take one as an example.

The City Farm. The area of the farm was originally waste land, and we are told the idea came from Barry Watson, the electricity company agreed to give the land for free and the council gave money from the Grants committee (Chaired by our old friend Brown envelope Davis). After some time and because we understand for health reasons Barry Watson left, George Shaw became Chairman of the management committee, lots of volunteers were trained to work on the farm, the visitor numbers were brilliant. A Councillor colleague became manager of the project, and things seemed to go OK for a while, but as with everything, the minute the manager starts to think for themselves George is in with the venom, he managed very skillfully to so blacken the name of the manager, she lost not only her job but her place on the council, still shrouded in mystery that one.

But an even more worrying matter was happening at the farm, there was concerns raised many a time about the electrical supply to the farm and how some of the workers and volunteers were being electrocuted while working around the farm, although non of them were seriously hurt this was a real worry for the more responsible members of the management committee.

We think there is a need to take a break in this posting we are sure you will agree that trying to get over 30 years of bullying and skulduggery down in one posting, and for our readers to sit and read it is a bit too much, so END of part one as they say.

As usual this posting is a matter of rumour, allegations, observations anecdotes and historical memory/fact.